What a nice surprise! One UI 8.5 adds subtle new haptic effects

The past couple of One UI generations have improved not just the platform’s aesthetics but also several non-visual aspects. Now, One UI 8.5 is spreading to more Galaxy devices in more regions, and Samsung’s core philosophy hasn’t changed much.

One UI 8.5 follows a similar approach. It refines the existing formula. I got the update on my S24+ and was pleasantly surprised to notice a couple of new features that weren’t discussed much. One such addition is a new haptic feedback effect.

One UI 8.5 adds a subtle haptic feedback effect to the volume slider. When you press and hold the volume up or down keys, you’ll feel the phone gently tap your palm with every incremental notch the volume slider moves on-screen.

It’s not much. “Gently” is the keyword, as the effect is barely noticeable. But it is there, and it does make the phone feel slightly more responsive.

I like it, even if it is very subtle. But I generally am a fan of quality haptic feedback, whether on phones or game console controllers, so I’m relatively easy to please in this regard. These new subtle effects in One UI 8.5 definitely didn’t go unnoticed. It’s all about attention to detail.

A couple of subtle things I enjoy:

As some of you might recall, Samsung’s journey to improve haptic feedback began with One UI 7, when the volume and brightness sliders gained new vibration effects upon reaching minimum and maximum levels. The brightness slider effect even caused a bit of confusion before we realized how it worked.

But One UI 8.5 improves on that concept. It feels like the completion of a feature that wasn’t quite fully fleshed out a year ago.

The best thing about this haptic feedback upgrade is that it’s retroactive and works on cheaper phones. For example, the Galaxy S24 supports the new haptic feedback effects in One UI 8.5, but so do the Galaxy A57 and A37. Other phones might, too, but those are the ones we tested.